Body fluid drainage and collecting apparatus



United States Patent [72] Inventor [54] BODY FLUID DRAINAGE ANDCOLLECTING APPARATUS 7 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs. 52] u.s.c 128/275,215/73, 222/533, 248/312, 250/72, 285/261, 1 16/1 18 51 1111.01 A61m21/00 50 Field Search .L II? 128/275,

276, 272, 295, 348, 214, 215; 4/1 10; 250/72; 215/73-79, (lnquired);248/312, (lnquired); 222/533, 536, (lnquired); 285/261, (lnquired)2,206,173 7/1940 Ewing... 222/533X 3,017,887 H1962 l'leyer... 128/3483,021,842 2/ 1962 Flood 128/215 3,122,139 2/1964 Jones, Jr... 128/2753,333,799 8/1967 Peterson 248/228X 3,345,023 10/ l 967 Scott et al 4/110X 3,431,370 3/1969 Crosby 285/261X Primary Examiner-Anton O. OechsleAssistant Examiner-Paul E. Shapiro Attorney- Williamson, Palmatier &Bains ABSTRACT: Apparatus for collecting body fluids from hospitalpatients including a swivel bracket for mounting a collecting vessel ona bed frame in such a manner that the vessel is not tipped as the bedframe is elevated to various positions; and a coupling assemblycomprising a pliable plastic cap for the inlet of the collecting vesseland a tubular connecting member of relatively hard plastic having a stemportion adapted to be connected to the outlet of a drainage tube and asubstantially spherical base portion rotatably and pivotally seatedwithin a socket formed integrally with said cap. The aforesaidcollecting vessel cap also includes a vent port within which a liquidlevel-indicating, float stem is slidably received, the stem projectingdownwardly into the vessel and having a float element on its lower end.

PATENTEU UEE22 19m SHEET 1 OF 2 FIG. I

fi nm I I w M INVENTOR. AMf/t/ J 4654 I PATENTED DEE22|870 3548x327SHEET 2 BF 2 INVENTOR. AME/V I 4554 BODY FLUID DRAINAGE AND COLLECTINGAPPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is common, postoperativepractice to utilize a tubular device known as a catheter for drainingbody fluids from surgical patients, and in particular for flushing anddraining the patients bladder and urinary tract. The catheter isnormally inserted into the patients abdomen through an incision, and isconnected at its discharge end to a drainage tube extending from aliquid-receiving vessel. The present techniques of firmly coupling thedrainage tube to the inlet of a collecting vessel have the very seriousdisadvantage of permitting the flexible catheters and drainage tubes tokink and become blocked as the patient or the bed on which he is restingis moved to various positions, thereby greatly endangering thewell-being of the patient. Also, the present practice of placing theliquid-receiving vessel on the floor adjacent the patients bed hasbecome a problem because of the frequent, inadvertent upsetting of thecollecting bottle or receptacle by the persons attending the patient. Itwould be extremely desirable to be able to support the liquid receptacleon the patients bed frame; however, there is no presently availablebracket device by means of which this may be accomplished withouttipping and spilling the receptacle when the patients bed is elevatedfrom a horizontal position.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Having in mind the foregoing shortcomingsassociated with presently available apparatus for draining andcollecting body fluids from hospital patients, I have developed acoupling unit and mounting bracket for a collecting vessel whichaccomplish the basic objectives of preventing the kinking of thedrainage tube and conveniently mounting the liquid receptacle on a bedframe in such a way as to spherically shaped the tipping of thereceptacle when the bed frame is elevated.

The kinking and restriction of the catheter anddrainage tube is avoidedby a unique coupling unit comprising a plastic cap for the collectingvessel having a generally sphericallyshaped recess formed integrallytherewith, and a tubular connecting stem having a ball or sphericallyshaped base which is pivotally retained within the aforesaid recess. Aswivel joint is thus provided between the drainage tube connecting stemand the liquid receiver which permits the stem and attached drainagetube to swivel freely through a full 360 arc, thereby precluding unduebending and resultant blockage of the drainage tube as the patient movesto various positions.

A particularly beneficial aspect of my invention resides in the use of aswivel bracket to support the aforesaid collecting vessel, the brackethaving a first, base member which is fastened to a bed frame andpivotally attached to a second,

vessel-supporting bracket arm. If the bed is elevated to change theposition of the patient, the first bracket member will move with the bedframe and pivot with respect to the second, vessel-supporting bracketarm, which will remain stationary, thereby avoiding the tipping andspilling of the liquid-collecting vessel.

As a further advantageous feature of my invention, I provide a vent portin the top of the aforesaid vessel cap within which a liquidlevel-indicating, float stem is slidably received. The float stem ispreferably constructed of fluorescent material or provided with afluorescent coating so that as it moves up and down in response tochanges in the level of the liquid within the collecting vessel, theamount of liquid in the vessel may be readily detected in a dark room bysimply noting the distance by which the fluorescent stem projectsupwardly above the vent port.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will becomereadily apparent as the following description is read in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals havebeen used to designate like elements throughout the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front, elevation viewshowing my improved drainage and collection apparatus secured to a bedframe, a portion of the coupling assembly being broken away for clariy;

FIG. 2 is a side, elevation view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 showing inphantom lines the angular positions to which the bed frame can beelevated;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the coupling unit of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section view taken along lines 4-4 of FIG..3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the tubular connector which forms aportion of the coupling unit;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the swivel mounting bracket for thecollecting vessel;

FIG. 7 is a vertical section view taken along lines 7-7 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a front, elevation view of the mounting bracket'illustratingthe manner in which the base member of the bracket may pivot relative tothe bracket arm which supports the collecting vessel.

The fluid-collection apparatus of this invention has been particularlydesigned with a view towards draining and accumulating fluids frompostoperative patients in hospitals. To that end, a liquid-receivingvessel 1 is shown supported adjacent the side of a bed 21 in FIG. I.Liquid-collecting or receiving vessel 1 preferably takes the form of aplastic bottle having a handle la and a raised inlet portion or neck 2to which a cap 4 is threadedly connected. Cap 4 comprises one element ofa coupling unit or assembly generally indicated by reference numeral 3in FIG. 4. i

Referring now to FIGS. 3 through 5, cap 4 has a base or bottom wall 5and a central socket or recess 6 which is preferably of substantiallyspherical configuration. In the preferred embodiment of my invention,cap 4 is injection molded from soft, pliable plastic such aspolyethylene, and spherical recess 6 is formed integrally therewith,recess 6 being defined by central, downwardly depending wall portion 7.The second element of coupling unit 3 is tubular connector member 8having a base portion 10 and an upper connecting stem 12 adapted to beconnected to a drainage tube 14 shown in FIG. 1. Stem 12 is preferably amale-female connector which may be frictionally secured to the inside oroutside wall of a drainage tube depending upon the size of drainage tube14 being used. Aligned apertures 9 and 11 are provided in the upper andlower ends of socket 6, these apertures being of smaller width than baseportion 10 of tubular connector 8, thereby providing shoulders 13 and 15by means of which base portion 10 is retained within socket 6.

As appears most clearly in FIGS. 4 and 5, base 10 of tubular connector 8is of a curvilinear shape conforming substantially to the contour ofsocket 6. By virtue of this arrangement a swivel joint is providedbetween connector 8 and cap 4 whereby connecting tube 8 may be pivotedfrom its normally upright position to an angle with respect to avertical axis extending through the center of socket 6, the angularpositions to which stem 12 of connector 8 may be pivoted being shown inphantom lines in FIGS. 1 and 2. As is indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2, stem12 may be pivoted in any direction from its upright position because ofthe swivel action between its spherical base 10 and spherical socket 6.Tubular connector 12 may thus swivel freely with respect to cap 4 sothat stem 12 may trace a full 360 arc in a horizontal plane about thevertical axis of socket 6. In order to facilitate the assembly oftubular connector 8 to cap 4, connector 8 is made of hard, unyieldingmaterial, and is preferably a rigid plastic piece molded frompolycarbonate or polystyrene. Hard base portion 10 of connector 8 maythus be seated in spherical recess 6 by forcing it through upperaperture 9, the elastic plastic material of cap 4 surrounding aperture 9yielding and then flexing back into position as base 10 is pushedtherethrough.

It is to be noted with respect to FIGS. 1 and 4, that inside walls 16 atthe bottom of base 10 flare outwardly to present an unimpeded dischargepath for the droplets of fluid flowing downwardly through connectingstem 12. Integral wall portion 7 of cap 4 which defines socket or recess6 extends downwardly below the base of cap 4 in order that dischargeaperture 11 at the bottom of tubular connector 8 will be disposed asubstantial distance within receiver inlet neck 2, thereby insuring thatfluid droplets will fall freely into bottle or receptacle 1 withoutwiping the side walls of neck 2 from which bacteria could migrate backupwardly through connector 8 and discharge tube 14 to the patient. Thedisposition of the lower end of socket 6 well within the lower confinesof receiver inlet 2 may be seen in FIG. 1 wherein cap 4 has been screwedonto neck 2 with internal threads 17 of cap 4 threadedly engagingexternal threads 18 on neck 2. It would of course be possible to providea snap-on connection between cap 4 and neck 2 rather than a threadedconnection.

For the purpose of permitting the level of fluid within collectingvessel 1 to be quickly and easily determined, I have provided a liquidlevel indicator in the form of float stem 19 having a styrofoam floatblock 20 at its lower end. Stem 19 is slidably received within guidechannel 23 of raised nipple 22 on the top of cap 4. Guide channel 23 isof a slightly larger diameter than stem 19 thereby providing an annularspace therebetween communicating the space within vessel 1 with theopening in the top of nipple 22. This annular clearance space serves asa passageway through which receptacle 1 may be permanently vented. As aparticularly advantageous feature of my liquid level-indicating device,I coat float stem 19 with a fluorescent material so that a doctor ornurse can tell at a glance the level of fluid in container 1 at nightwithout turning the lights on and disturbing the patient.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 6 through 8, I will explain the bracketarrangement which I utilize to support receptacle 1 above the floor sothat it will not be inadvertently bumped and tipped over by personsattending the patient in bed 21. Reference numeral 24 generallyindicates my support bracket which appears most clearly in FIGS. 6 and7. Bracket 24 is comprised of a back or base plate 26 and areceptacle-supporting bracket arm 30 attached thereto by means of swivelfastener 32. Bracket member 30 is provided with a slot or recess 34defined by two, forwardly extending fingers 33 and 35 turned upwardly attheir outer ends 36 and 37. Recess 34 is sized to receive receptacleneck 2, with enlarged annular portion 2a thereof being supported onfingers 33 and 35 in the manner shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Right angle baseplate 26 of bracket 24 is secured to bed frame 25 by means of hooked endportions 28 as shown in FIG. 1. Plate 26, being secured to bed frame 25will rotate therewith about swivel connector 32 as bed frame 25 istilted to various positions as indicated by phantom lines in FIG. 2 toelevate either the head or foot thereof. As bracket plate 26 swivelswith bed frame 25 about the substantially horizontal axis of swivelconnector 32, receptacle support arm 30 will remain in the substantiallyhorizontal position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, thereby preventing thetipping of collecting vessel 1 and the spilling of its contents. Therelative pivotal movement between back plate 26 and support arm 30 isillustrated in FIG. 8.

On the basis of the foregoing description, it will be readily apparentthat swivel bracket 24 and coupling unit 3 combine to provide aparticularly advantageous arrangement for supporting a collecting vesselat a patients bedside and connecting the vessel to a drainage tubeextending from the patient. The pivotal joint between tubular connector8 and bottle cap 4 permits the patient to turn or change his position inbed or to have his bed elevated without disconnecting drainage tube 14from collecting vessel 1 or bending and kinking tube 14 in such a way asto restrict the flow of fluid therethrough. As the patient moves,drainage tube 14 will simply move with him by forcing or pullingconnecting stem 12 to a different angular position as indicated by thephantom lines in FIGS. 1 and 2; and the bending of tube 14 which wouldtake place if it had a stationary connection to vessel 1 at itsdischarge end is prevented. As bed 21 is elevated to various positionsthereby tipping bed frame 25, swivel bracket 24 operates to prevent thetipping and spilling of collecting vessel 1. Swivel bracket 24 andcoupling unit 3 thus combine to insure that neither the drainage of bodyfluids nor the collection thereof is disturbed as a result of themovement of the patient or his bed. Swivel bracket 24 permits collectingvessel 1 to be conveniently supported at the patients bedside above thefloor so that it will not be bumped and tipped over by a nurse ordoctor, and fluorescent float stem 19 clearly indicates the level offluid in vessel 1 without having to use a flashlight or room lightduring the nighttime hours.

The drainage apparatus of this invention may be advantageously utilizedin any fluid-collecting operation where a flexible conduit communicatingwith a receiver is likely to be moved and bent and thereby restricted. Icontemplate that my improved drainage apparatus will find particularutility in hospitals for collecting body fluids from postoperativepatients. Such procedures as the transurethal resection process whereina patients bladder and urinary tract are flushed with a saline solutionrequire the use of a catheter and drainage tube in combination with acollecting vessel. The abovedescribed apparatus permits such drainageprocedures to be carried out without fear of interruptions which mightendanger the safety and well-being of the patient.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in theform, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts of myinvention as described above without departing from the spirit and scopeof my invention as defined by the following claims.

Iclaim:

1. Liquid handling apparatus comprising in combination a liquid couplingunit connecting a liquid conduit to an upright, liquid receiving vesselhaving a raised inlet, said coupling unit comprising: i y

a removable cap having an outer peripheral wall with coupling meansthereon positively attached to a complementary coupling portion on saidraised inlet, said cap including an integral, central wall portionspaced radially inwardly from said peripheral wall and definingtherewith an annular space within which an annular wall forming saidraised inlet is received, the inside surface of said central wallportion defining a recess of substantially spherical configurationhaving curvilinear upper and lower wall portions with aligned, upper andlower apertures therein;

a tubular connector and flow passage member having an upper stem portiondetachably connected to said liquid conduit and a substantiallyspherical base portion seated within said spherical recess, and retainedtherein by abutting contact with said upper and lower wall portionsthereof, whereby said connector member may be pivoted from its normallyupright position to an angle with respect to a vertical axis throughsaid recess and may swivel freely with respect to said cap so as totrace a full 360 are about said vertical axis; and

wherein said spherical base portion of said tubular connector has aliquid discharge opening at the bottom end thereof located a substantialdistance downwardly within said raised inlet at the same level as andopening directly into said lower aperture in said lower wall portion ofsaid spherical recess, said lower aperture being at least as large incross-sectional area as said discharge opening in said spherical baseportion and providing an unrestricted opening of such size communicatingwith said vessel inlet, and said raised inlet presenting an unrestrictedflow passage defined by said annular wall forming said inlet and openingdirectly into the interior of said receiving vessel, whereby liquid willdrop freely into said receiving vessel from said tubular connectorwithout wiping the annular wall surface of said raised inlet.

2. A coupling unit as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said cap is formed from soft. elastic plastic material; and

said tubular connector member is made of hard, unyielding material,whereby said base portion of said connector member cluding a recess ofsubstantially spherical internal configuration with aligned apertures atthe thereof;

a tubular connector member having an upper stem portion adapted to beconnected to a fluid conduit and a substantially spherical base portionretainably seated within said recess, whereby said connector member maybe pivoted from its norupper and lower ends 'mally upright position toan angle with respect to a vertical axis through said recess and mayswivel freely with respect to said cap so as to trace a full 360 areabout said vertical axis;

a vent port in the top of said cap; and t a liquid level-indicatingstern of smaller diameter than said port slidably received therein, saidstem having a float on the lower end thereof, whereby said stem willmove up and down within said vent port in response to changes in thelevel of fluid within said receiver.

5. A coupling unit as defined in claim 4 wherein said liquidlevel-indicating stem is fluorescent, whereby the level of fluid in saidreceiver may be readily determined at night.

6. In combination with postoperative drainage apparatus including acatheter connected to a collecting vessel positioned at the side of abed which is capable of being elevated at the foot or the head, improvedbracket means for supporting said vessel comprising:

a first bracket member secured to the frame of said bed and movabletherewith;

and a second, vessel-supporting member pivotally attached to said firstbracket member by a fastener having a generally horizontally extendingaxis about which said first bracket member may rotate with said bedframe; and

a coupling assembly connecting said catheter to said vessel, saidcoupling assembly including a tubular connecting stem having acurvilinear base, and a socket of curvilinear shape conforming to theshape of said stem base within which said base is pivotally retained.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said vessel-supporting memberhas two generally horizontally extending fingers turned upwardly attheir outer ends defining therebetween a recess through which the neckof said vessel may extend, said fingers serving to supportably engage anenlarged annular portion on said receptacle neck of greater width thansaid recess.

